Balkan Sour Cabbage Sarma Recipe
This delicious recipe is a combination of sour cabbage leaves, ground meat, rice, and various spices.
Ingredients
For Filling
- 1-2 fermented cabbage heads
- 250 g carrot (finely grated)
- 1 cup onion (finely chopped)
- 2 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup bacon (finely chopped)
- 150 g celery (finely grated)
- 1¼ lb ground meat (beef and pork)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup rice
- ½ tbsp oil
For Finishing
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1½ cup water
Instructions
- Place a pan on medium heat and add the oil.
- Add onion, carrot, bacon, and celery, and sauté until onion is translucent.
- Then add in garlic and paprika. Stir well for about 30 secs and add ground beef and pork.
- Cook it until it becomes brown while stirring.
- Add salt and black pepper then add rice.
- Cook the rice on a low heat and slowly add a little of the water. When the rice is half cooked remove the pan from the heat
- Select well-formed cabbage leaves and remove the rib with a knife. Then, place each leaf onto a cutting board with the flat side facing up.
- Place 2 tbsp of the mixture on the cabbage leaf, fold the side edges, and roll it over. Repeat the step with the other cabbage leaves.
- Cover the bottom of a baking pan with the chopped cabbage and place 1-2 cabbage leaves then transfer the cabbage rolls.
- Cover ⅓ of the pan with water and sprinkle some paprika on top. Add the rest of the chopped cabbage
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and place the baking pan inside. Bake for about 50mins with a cover.
- To prepare the sauce, in a small pan, heat oil then add flour. Add hot water and simmer on low heat for about 5-6 minutes while stirring, add paprika.
- Spread it over the cabbage rolls. Cook sarma for 30 more minutes but remove the lid